Gas foil bearing structure for reducing operating temperatures

Abstract

Gas foil bearings that are configured to have thermal conductive paths that allow for efficient conduction of heat away from the bearing gap between the bearing and a shaft therein are presented. Some techniques for carrying away heat involve a flow of a cooling fluid through the bearing. In contrast, embodiments are directed to techniques that involve configuring thermal conduction of various parts of the bearing so that the bearing may be cooled at a relatively high level of efficiency without the use of a circulating cooling fluid. A gas foil bearing may utilize cutouts on specific locations/areas of its bump foil structure. Such cutouts may lead to a uniform temperature in the bearing film by optimizing heat conduction through bump foil elements.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.